Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

FUN ON A BMW OR ..HOW NOT TO GO TO ALASKA By James CampbeU Thomson rye been told by others that the best trips are the ones that aren't planned. Where you get the Idea, pack up and leave before you can do any intelligent thinking on the subject. Well, rye come to the conclusion that they were the ones who were taldng me on a trip, for this last Spring I climbed aboard my BMW 250 and took a 12,000 mile trip to Alaska. I narrowly missed having to sell my bike In order to fly home, and many times I found myself rolling down the road (too many times, for I wasn't on the bike - - it was on me). '!be whole thing began in Los Angeles, the starting place of many such adventurous trips with world-wide destinations, on the 3rd of March. It was In a rooming house in Culver city that I met him. His name was Dick and he had recently returned from Alaska where he was in the Army. And since I had been out less than a year, we found communication easy on this common ground. The Lure of Gold One day while talking of what he did In Alaska when he was not being used, he revealed to me a story of gold. He told of how he and a small group of buddies found gold in a small streamlet running off the mountain. ThIs was just below Enutna Glacier about 50 miles from Anchorage. He said If a person went there, he could make $35 a day, every day, all summer. ThIs sounded pretty good as I was unemployed, waiting for a post office job to open up. '!be thought of riding all the way up to Alaska, living In the bush, and making money, too, sounded like just the thing I should do. '!be encyclopedia I read about gold mining said that people haven't made money panning gold for 50 years. But I felt I had a good thing. It seems to me that half of preparing for any trip is making the decision to go. Once you have your goal In mind, the small things you must do to achieve It seem like nothing. Well, first up on my decision list was whether to take my car (a 8IlI'lf' 700 sedan) or the bike, a BMW R-27. 'Ibe bike won the nomination as it got better gas mileage, was more reliable and could cross rougher ground than the car. Although the" BM" had 17,000 miles on the speedo, It looked and ran like new. I had had rrng seat problems and a rebore at 14,0000 miles - - now everything was as it should be. '!be bike was equipped with a Manta fiberglass fairing, which In my opinion is a necessity for any trip. All I had to my name around $50 and my only Income was my unemployment check of $30 a week. But lucky for me, things I had to have started coming my way. A guy living upstairs gave me a two-man tent and a 9x12' heavy-dUty tarP. An old friend in Whittier gave me his boots left over from the Marine Reserve. While shopping at Bill Brokaw's motorcycle shop, he gave me a used tire off a twin. 'Ibis I thought I would put on to ride the Alcan Highway as it's a tire chewer- upper. For spare parts I took one tUbe, a throttle and clutch cable, plus a bicycle tube repair kit. My portable kitchen included a small meat loaf pan, a sauce pan that fit inside, and a 4-cup Japanese teapot. I had one each - knife, fork, spoon. Bears drag me, and r d heard Alaska Is full of them, so I felt I besttake my 58cal. Civil War rifle, plus Its bullet mold, black powder and caps. It was getting toward the end of April by this time, and we in Southern California had been eJpyIng two weeks of summer-like weather. It was also the end of my living where I was, as I was being evicted for non-payment of rent. More Important, I had the bike, the coins, the gear, and the proper mental attitude for a 4000-mIIe ride. So the day before leaving, I went to the local lumber yard to have a sheet of half-Inch plywood cut up for my baggage box. On one side of the front and back of the box I cut out sections so I could carry the rifle, and the lid locked on top of It all to prevent theft. The whole thing was attached to the luggage rack with U-bolts, and four hours were spent packing and re- packing the enormous load. It was here that I had the first thoughts that maybe I might not make it. I had truly turned my BMW Into a monster. Even after lashing the tarP on the front fender, the forks shimmied up to 20 mph, making every city and town en route a hairy experience. I couldn't put it on the stand alone, so after that It was a lean-scene. Leave-Taking to stay with an old friend of mine. I had made the trip so many times that I rather knew what to expect. Once the machine got up to speed, the load wasn't very noticeable, and improved the riding abilities of the bike. Bakersfielo;i was my first stop. I spent 20 minutes walking In a small park, talking to 'winos and other travelers about the strangen ess of my burden. I then rode on to Fresno where I refueled the bike. I was getting a bit over 65 miles per gallon at 60 to 70 mph. '!be remainder of the trip was routine, except for some light rain for the last 30 miles Into Sacramento. Weather in sacramento was wonderful. 'Ibe trees were covered with fresh green leaves, the sky was blue, and the sun was hot. I spent a couple of days doing little things, and then pushed north on Monday morning. By keeping on it, I was able to make Redding before I ran out of sun. 'Ibe next day was warm, but I could see wispy clouds forming. Conditions were good, though a little cold, as I neared the Oregon border. On Hwy 99 the border runs at the top of a 5000-foot ridge. As I neared the top it got so cold that I began to wish I was elsewhere. OVer the crest I went, and into Oregon where the sky was covered with black clouds. Before I had gone 40 miles, it began to rain. After getting rather damp I stopped at Eugene in a little roadside park, and when I emerged from my tent the followday everything looked the same. Stupidly, I felt by pushing north the weather would improve•. .ha. When I got to Portland it was really coming down. So I decided to run up the Columbia River to higher ground. At the junction of Hwy. 30 I pulled off under the bridge, built a fire and prepared to spend the night. ::: Second Tboubhts ~ 3 Ing Next day, weatherwise, things were the same. (Such is oregon.) I thought that if It was wet here, what was it going to be like 2000 miles north? It took me two days to make it back to Sacramento on Hwy 97. I thought I would cool my heels for a month and then try again. My friend Bob found me sleeping in his yard when he got home from work. I had written him an airmail letter from the Dalles, Oregon, but had beaten it back to Sacramento by 12 hours. Bob was pleased to have me stay with him, and my BMW was pleased to share the garage with his Porsche. Well, the first things I did were to get a haircut and shave off my beard. Hound a temporary job picketing for the local Retail Clerks Union. While in Sacramento that month we made several trips uP to Auburn, and the Gold Rush country. Also to San Francisco and to visit friends in San Jose. But soon departure time drew ~ C1" r-. ~ .... U; C U) ~ ~ ~ U >.. U near. (continued Next Week) Packed up and ready to 10. author James Campbell Thamson prepares to leave Sacramento lor the wilds of A lash on hi s 250 BMW. I left In the wee hours of April 21, bound f?r Sacramento (about 400 miles) ., OJ Q ~ .. .£ It SIERRA CLUB'S SPECIAL GUESTS By Dale McKinnon Gary and Shawn Ammarell heard so much about the Sierra Cycle Club scrambles events that they journeyed all the way from Wethersfield, Connecticut, to take one in. Just kidding? Gary and Shawn visited 10 National Parks in 2~ months. They ride a 650 Tri umph 65 model. This is their second trip to the West Coast. They liked it so much the first time they decided to pack their belongings on their bike come out to stay. Gary is a motorcycle mechanic specializing in Triumphs. He is looking for work around the Auburn area. Jack Cummings and his wife invited them to the race and were there to officially greet them in behalf of the Club. Jack and his wife are very active in the Auburn Club. and own a Harley road bike. After talking to Gary and Shawn it looks like to me Wethersfield loss and our gain. So here is wishing them welcome to California. and a long and happy stay.

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